Roller skate



March 17, 1942, C. N. GAINES ROLLER SKATE Filed July 15, 1940 INVENTOR ATI'ORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1942 UNITE D STATES ROLLER: SKATE Charles N. Gaines, Oakmcnt, Pa. ApplicationJuly 15, 1940', Serial No. 345,635

1 Claim.

This invention relates to roller skates, and its general object is to provide a skate of the two wheeled type that is substantially noiseless in operation and capable of obtaining high speed, with minimum effort on the part of the user, yet can be readily controlled, as my skate not only includes rubber tires, but each wheel is accurately balanced and supported for rotation on a pair of ball bearings which have relatively wide races mounted directly on the axle and held within wheel hub chambers by reinforced mounting bracket members fixed to and depending in converging relation from the shoe sole receiving means, with the lower ends of the bracket members held in binding engagement with certain of the race members by the axle, thus preventing any possibility of displacement of the wheel in any direction.

A further object is to provide a skate of the character set forth that includes wheel mounting brackets that are not only reinforced at the lower or axle receiving portions but throughout the remaining height thereof, due to their cross sectional shape.

Another object is to provide a skate that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and extremely efficient in operation, use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describin the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the skate which forms the subject matter of the present inven tion.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation illustrating one of the Wheels and the mounting means therefor.

Figure 4 is a top plan view.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bracket plate.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral l' indicates the shoe receiving body or sole plate of my skate and which as shown is formed into one piece, but it may be made up of sections adjustably associated in the usual manner to vary the size of the skate, as will be apparent. In any event, the sole plate I has with toe clamps 4 for securing the skate to the shoe of the user, as shown in Figure 1, the straps having the usual buckle fastening means 5- for the free ends thereof.

The skate is provided with two wheels, namely a front wheel and a rear wheel, both of which together with the mounting means therefor, are identical, as shown.

Each wheel is made up of a pair of companion plate sections shaped to provide annular centrally disposed hub chambers having their inner walls 6 disposed in face to face engagement, while their outer ends are open and have formed thereon annular flanges 1 from which extend in.- wardly flared portions 8 merging into engaging ring portions 9 fixed together by rivetsor the like ll). From the ring portions 9, the plate sections extend into and terminate in opposed arcuate outwardly flared outer flanges ll providing a channel rim having mounted and fixed therein a rubber tire [2 which is shown as being circular in cross section, but of course it can be of other cross sectional shapes, as will be apparent.

Mounted within the hub chambers are ball bearings which include inner race members I3 and outer race members l4 provided with the usual grooves for the balls I5, and while the outer race members fit within the chambers for disposal flush with the outer ends thereof, the inner race members are of a width to extend outwardly beyond the outer ends, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

A pair of mounting bracket members is provided for each wheel and each member includes a pair of companion plates I 6 of substantially triangular shape in outline and having rounded lower or apex ends. The plates have ears ll formed on the upper ends thereof for disposal through slots in the sole plate I, with the ears bent against the upper surface of the sole plate, for fixing the plates l6 thereto for disposal in depending relation therefrom. The major portion of the plates l6 are inclined for arrangement of the plates of each pair in converging relation from the sole plate, with respect to each other, as shown in Figure 2 while the remaining or lower portions of the plates are fiat for disposal in parallelism with each other.

The Converging po on of each plate is formed to provide a substantially triangular shaped laterally disposed bulge or corrugation I8 gradually decreasing in depth from the upper end of the plate and merging therein at the juncture of the flat portion, as clearly shown in Figure 1. It will be obvious that the corrugations materially reinforce the mounting plates l6, and they are further reinforced by substantially U-shaped members l9 mounted on the flat portions in clamping engagement with the opposite faces thereof and being shaped to follow their outline, as clearly shown in Figure 5.

The reinforcing U-shaped members I9 as well as the flat lower portions of the plates l6 have registering openings therein, for registration with openings in the inner walls 6 of the hub chambers, to receive a headed axle 20 for the wheel, the axle in the form shown having a transverse opening therein and secures the wheel between its companion mounting bracket members by a cotter pin 2| extending through the axle opening for cooperation with the head of the axle for holding the U-shape members in binding engagement with the outer ends of the inner race members l3, to allow free rotation of the wheel on the bearings, as will be apparent upon inspection of Figure 2. Washers are preferably provided between the mounting bracket members and the head and cotter pin.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

A roller skate wheel comprising a pair of companion plate sections shaped to provide a pair of annular centrally disposed hub chambers having open outer ends and inner walls with the latter disposed in face to face engagement,

annular flanges extending from the outer peripheries of the chambers, inwardly flared portions formed on the flanges, ring portions formed on the inwardly flared portions, means extending through the ring portions and fixing the plate sections together with the ring portions engaged with each other, opposite outwardly flared arcuate flanges formed on the ring portions and providing a'channel rim, a rubber tire secured within the rim, a ball bearing mounted in each hub chamber and including inner and outer race members, and the inner race members being of a width to extend outwardly of the chambers.

CHARLES N. GAINES. 

